“I’m coming. I’ll help you search for him.”
“No’ until after you’ve taken my body somewhere safe.” Underneath the chunky wooden door of the shack, she snuck and into the gloomy recesses lit only by a fire burning in one corner, the hot coals glowing and the iron rod Duncan had been carrying now protruding from one side. The fire’s glow flickered over the blackened walls of mud and stone as well as the unclothed back of a seasoned warrior standing in his kilt in the center of the room, his feet planted wide and his blond-haired head with its streak of silver on one side, bowed in supplication. Her heart clenched in on itself. Father. She streamed down and glided around him, brushed a kiss across his cheek, her heartbeat a thumping mess as she whispered in his ear, “I’m here, Father.”
“I can sense your presence,” he breathed back as he lifted his head a notch, tipped it toward a woman dressed in an exquisite silver gown with long draping sleeves who stood near the far wall. She’d not noticed the woman before, but now the elegantly clothed woman crossed the room, a torque necklace of fine gold encircling her neck and her iridescent eyes shimmering as she scrutinized Father.
“My father is here, in the shack.” She floated toward the ceiling. “There’s a woman with him, and by her unusual eyes, I’d say one of the fae. She must be Muirin.”
“Stay hidden, and that’s an order.”
“You’ve gone quiet all of a sudden, Niall.” The woman’s eyes reflected the colors of the rainbow, her gaze both breathtaking and fearsome to behold, her beauty undeniable. Flawless skin, high cheeks and rich red hair. Her locks were twisted high upon her head, the odd strand clinging to the long column of her neck. The woman’s face remained untouched by age yet her gaze held centuries of knowledge.
“She’s definitely full-blooded, an immortal for certain.” The half-blooded fae of the village lived longer lives than mere humans alone, but they weren’t immortals as the full-blooded fae beyond the veil usually were.
“What do you wish for me to say, Muirin?” Father’s bare torso gleamed with sweat from the intense heat churning from the fire, his Matheson plaid fastened at his waist with a leather girdle and his sword sheathed at his side.
“Father remains armed, Alec.”
“Then he remains there willingly.”
“Aye, it appears so.” With a blade in his hand, her father could so easily have left.
“I have sworn my allegiance to you and Duncan in order to ensure my son’s freedom.” Father glared at Muirin. “Now Duncan leaves and it better damn well be to free my son as we agreed upon.”
“Father would never swear his allegiance to another, not when doing so would break his oath to our chief and our clan. There is far more than just a little amiss here. There’s a damn lot.”
“I agree.”
Gently, Muirin touched her fingertips to Father’s cheek then swished down to his neck. She brushed against him, her breasts pressed to his chest.
“Oh goodness. Father allows her touch, as if they are far better acquainted than they should be.” They had a problem, a very big problem.
“I completed the bond with you, Muirin. Honor your word to me, just as I’ve honored mine to you.” Father grasped Muirin’s trailing fingers, pressed her palm firm over his chest and leaned in. “Allow me to go to Carron Castle and ensure Duncan does as he has promised me he’ll do.”
“You need to show Duncan more trust. His proposition for Ronan is one that expresses his coming intentions, of accepting the fae to the deepest degree.”
“Father completed the bond with her.” Shock coursed through her. “They’re mated, soul bound as you and I are.”
“Keep sharing with me.”
“My parents, even though they loved each other, were never soul bound. They chose to wed when neither sensed a bond forming with another. That is why Mother ascended. She loved Father dearly, but ’twas no’ enough to keep her to this Earth. Neither believed they’d ever find their chosen ones. I cannae believe Father now has.”
“It’s more like Muirin has found him. We’re passing over the forest now.”
“The tension in this shack is so thick and even though Father and Muirin are soul bound, she clearly willnae allow him to leave, no’ even to ride to Ronan.”
“We’re coming down the shingled cliff side. I see the stronghold and the war galley moored at the landing.” He opened his mind further to her, her physical body held tight within his arms as he soared, cloaked and unseen, through the skies with Cherub and Kirk.
“When two are soul bound, Niall, neither can leave the other for long, and I’ve no wish to travel to Carron Castle at this moment.” The sorceress dug her fingers into Father’s arm, lightened her touch then scraped downward. “You also hold the battle skill, my mate, an ability coveted by our fae kind, an ability you have yet to fully utilize. Your half-blooded kind within the fae village hold such a wealth of skills, yet there is more you can do to grow your abilities to their complete fullness and I shall be the one to show you how, particularly now I’ve spelled your soul to mine and you too are now an immortal as I am.” She stepped back, bent before the hearth, grasped the iron rod and returned to him. “Should your son agree to Duncan’s proposition, then I shall train him too so he might fight at your side and mine as well. Are you ready to accept your destiny?”
“My destiny has always been set, to protect Ronan, Annella, and my people. I will never allow any harm to come to them, which means if I must remain at your side to see that done, then so be it. Certainly if my children were here, then they’d understand and accept my decision to remain.” He raised his arm, slapped his bulging bicep. “Brand me and be done with it, woman.”
“As it is my destiny to protect those who are mine, which now includes you and your son and daughter. We are in quite the quandary, my chosen one, for you dinnae believe I have only the best intentions toward you and yours. Hopefully you will learn that is so within time, of which we now have a great deal ahead of us.” Muirin raised the rod, the iron burning red and hot as she shoved it hard into Father’s bicep. Skin sizzled and the acrid odor of burning flesh pervaded the air. Muirin pulled the rod away and the brand blazed bright on Father’s arm, an insignia depicting the ancient Celtic woven circle for infinity. The symbol of their Matheson fae village. “We are of fae blood, Niall, and from this moment forth, the fae village you are one of the leaders of is now one I too shall guard, whether you wish to fully believe me or no’.”
Muirin lifted her sleeve and exposed her own arm. The same brand that now lay upon Father’s skin also lay stamped upon Muirin’s flesh. “The fae have lived for thousands of years beyond the veil, but I intend to remain here and walk this Earth with you. I am no’ asking you to fight alongside the Chief of MacKenzie or his youngest son, Jeremiah, who are both menaces, but alongside Duncan and Coll who have now both successfully broken away from their father and intend to fight the good fight. ’Tis time for the fae to live.”
* * * *
Alec cradled Annella’s physical body to his chest as Cherub swept them toward a small copse of trees near the shoreline just beyond the guardsmen’s sight and set them down. He’d repeated all he’d seen and heard within Annella’s mind with both Cherub and Kirk and now he turned all the new information over in his mind, tried to process it all. “Niall has now been placed in a very unique position.”
“Most definitely.” Arms folded, Cherub paced back and forth. “Not only is he now mated to Muirin, but he has also agreed to fight alongside Duncan, yet from what they’ve said, on the side of the fae. That better be the truth.”
“Yet what on earth would suddenly cause Duncan and his brother to align themselves with the fae? I’ve never known a MacKenzie to do anything that didn’t benefit themselves in some way.” Kirk shoved a hand through his hair. “At least Niall is here.”
“Aye, Niall’s loyalty to his people will never sway and since he’s here, he can most definitely keep an eye on things.” Alec brushed his lips acro
ss Annella’s forehead, tucked her limp hand between them and murmured in her mind, “You understand, don’t you? We can’t take your father from this place, not now we’re aware he’s soul bound to Muirin.”
“Aye, ’tis as Cherub said, the mated bond is a very sacred union and neither her or any of us are permitted to breach its creation or completion. Clearly my father has completed the bond with her, and chosen his path in doing so. I dinnae wish to say farewell to him. He is my only parent.”
“You’ll never be far from him, not with your skill.” Alec let out a long breath as he eyed Cherub and Kirk. “We leave Niall here.”
“Aye, Niall can oversee all Duncan does, until we too discover why he and his brother have chosen to side with the fae.” Cherub pressed two fingers to Annella’s neck. “Her pulse is strong. Ask her if she’d like me to take her to her chamber at the House of Clan Matheson where her kin can guard her body, or somewhere else?”
“Not my chamber. Tell Cherub to take me to your chamber at Ivanson. That is the only place where I wish to be.” Her desire to remain with her father for a few more minutes barreled through to him, time he’d never deny her.
“Will do. Be waiting for me when we return. I won’t be long.” He sent a blast of warmth and love down their merged link and she sent the same wave of love and devotion right back. To Cherub, he murmured, “Annella wishes to be taken to my chamber at Ivanson.” He’d place her safely in his bed and ensure Megan, his chief’s wife, watched over her. Not only would Megan be able to ensure Annella’s physical body came to no harm, but so too she was a highly qualified nurse and would be able to offer a level of care none other could. “Megan can guard her.”
“Megan is the perfect choice.” Cherub linked her arm through his and Annella’s floppy arm as Kirk wrapped his hands around Cherub’s waist from behind. With a swish of her fingers, Cherub opened a portal and the four of them fell away into the dark abyss.
Through the endless streams of time, they traveled and mere minutes later arrived in his chamber.
Gently, he set Annella down on his bed and tucked his fur bedcover over her, sat next to her and leaned in, nuzzled her neck and nibbled on her ear. Leaving her here would be difficult, particularly now they’d finally joined together as one. All he wished to do was remain right by her side.
“I’ll go and fetch Megan.” Cherub opened the door then dashed out in a flurry of olive skirts.
“I’ll be but a moment too.” Kirk swung his satchel and Cherub’s from his shoulders. “I’ll just drop these off in my chamber, give you a little more time with your chosen one.”
“Thank you.” Any time was appreciated.
Kirk disappeared down the hallway.
Holding Annella’s hand, he kissed her fingertips. “From the first night you visited me in my dreams, you enthralled me, made me crave each following visit, and far more than I was prepared to admit at the time. I won’t accept anything less than forever with you.” He now lived and breathed for his chosen one and always would. With one hand pressed over her heart, he counted several strong and steady beats. With a soft sigh, he dropped a kiss on her lips and savored the soft breaths she emitted against his own. “No getting into any trouble while I’m gone,” he whispered to the one woman he could never survive without. “Or I’ll hunt you down, no matter where you might go.”
He rose, eased his satchel and hers from his shoulders, pulled the remainder of his chocolate bar from his bag and set it on the pillow beside his wife-to-be. He ached to remain with her, to shake her and demand her spiritual form’s return, to keep her safely locked away right here in his room, only he’d been gifted with a warrior mate, a lass who’d always be in the thick of things, just as he always was. A smile lifted his lips. Aye, he’d been given the perfect woman, his chosen one matching him in every single way, and he’d never wish to change that about her, or anything else.
“I’m here.” Megan rushed into the room in a wine-colored woolen skirt and white blouse with a ruffled neckline, her dark wavy hair bobbing on her shoulders and Cherub and Kirk one step behind her. “Cherub updated me.”
“Don’t leave my woman alone.” He gripped Megan’s shoulders, pulled her into a hug. “Not even for one moment. She holds my very heart and soul in her hands.”
“I understand and I promise I’ll remain right here until you return.” Megan hugged him then swept Cherub and Kirk into her arms. “Be safe, all of you.”
“Always.” Cherub held out her arms for him and Kirk to take. “Let’s leave.”
They still had such a perilous mission ahead of them, of finding and freeing Ronan. Even though Duncan had aligned himself with the fae, he’d still kept Ronan heavily restrained within his dungeons, which meant stealth would be needed this night in order to free his mate’s brother.
He grasped Cherub’s arm and she opened a portal with one flick of her fingers then with them all connected together as one, they fell away and soared back through time.
Chapter 12
Annella remained no more than a wisp of white as she floated near the ceiling of the shack, Father and Muirin standing below her as Father hunkered down next to a pail of cold water in the corner and scooped water.
Glaring at Muirin, he splashed his arm. “Leave me be for a while.”
“I must see to your healing first.” She touched her palm over the brand she’d burned into his flesh and murmured,
“With this mark, seal and heal.
No festering wound may be revealed.”
Sparks flared under her palm and she lifted her hand. The mark, now fully sealed, appeared as if it had been imprinted into his skin many moons ago. “There, ’tis done.”
“Thank you.” Father rose and tipped his head toward the door. “Now please, go. I wish some time alone.”
“In the days and weeks to come, your skill will rise in strength under my tutelage, until the point where even the dust I’d spelled and given Duncan wouldnae have slowed you down during your battle with him.”
“’Twas as if my legs had turned to lead. Ronan too couldnae fight the compulsion within your concoction.” Father crossed to the door and opened it. “Leave, Muirin.”
“I will give you this time you’ve asked for, but remember this.” She halted next to him, the wind whistling in from outside and fluttering her silver skirts. “You have spent your entire life here on this Earth without me, but now that I too am here and no longer residing beyond the veil, you need to accept your heritage as one of the fae, as well as your place at my side.”
“You also need to accept your place at mine.” Father pulled the pins from her hair and her long red locks slid free and swayed down to her waist. He dug one hand into the thick mass, wrapped it around his fist and gently brought her mouth closer to his. A breath from her lips, he whispered, “We may be mated, our souls calling to each other’s and making me unable to deny you very much, but never forget this. I love my children, and if you ever wish to one day hold my love as well, then you will need to stand behind your word given to me, that it is in fact time for the fae to live.”
“Of course. I would have it no other way.” She reached up on her toes and kissed him then sashayed out the door and closed it, the heavy clunk resounding firmly as she did.
“I love you too, Father.” She wisped down and solidified her spiritual form, clutched her only parent to her and held him tight. “I wish you didnae have to stay.”
“You can see why I have no choice. Muirin is my mate and I’ve accepted the bond, couldnae deny it even if I wished to. She may have ensured my capture and Ronan’s, but she did so because her soul cries out for mine. I shall embrace the challenge she poses and ensure our fae people from the village continue to grow from strength to strength. Tell Ronan that will be so.” He cupped her face in his hands, such a well of love filling his gaze. “Go to your brother and ensure he is freed. He shouldnae be forced into accepting any proposition Duncan gives him unless ’tis a proposition he wishes to accept.”
“I shall, but afore I go, I have news I must share with you.”
“I can see your skill has evolved, and glad I am that it has. You’ll be able to visit me with far more ease, of which I expect. To begin with though, dinnae allow another to see you here at Ardan House. Only me.”
“I shall, but you need to know I’ve also met my own soul bound mate and completed the bond with him. His name is Alec Matheson and he’s a shifter from Kirk’s future clan. Cherub has promised to bring us back and forth as needed through time, and I’ve spoken to Ronan. He too has discovered his chosen one and she lives at the castle where he’s being restrained.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ronan’s chosen one is Duncan’s sister. But more than that, Kyla holds fae blood and the mind-walker skill, although she isnae fully aware of how to use her ability since she has never been trained by our people.”
“Hell.” Father clenched his teeth, shook his head. “Ronan always sensed his mate resided somewhere beyond his reach, has never been able to find her in all these years, but I never would have imagined he’d find her here, in the heart of MacKenzie land.”
“Ronan told her a story which I overheard while floating above him. Twenty years ago, a young lass of only three summers was taken from the fae village farther along the loch from the House of Clan Matheson.”
“Aye, the lass was Isaiah and Grace’s daughter, Christina. She was taken in the middle of the night, under the cover of darkness and although we searched high and low for her at the time, we never found her. Ronan was mayhap eight, and she’d always intrigued him, although I didnae know they were soul bound. One cannae usually tell until they come of age, although a few have sensed tendrils of the bond forming afore that time. Still, ’tis most rare.”
“Ronan told Kyla they’re mated, although she is in denial.”
“Then it appears Ronan too will have a battle ahead of him to ensure he catches her.” Father rolled his shoulders and quirked a brow. “From here, I will do all I can to aid Ronan in his chase. There will certainly be some interesting days ahead of us.”
Highlander's Sword: Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance (Clan Matheson Book 3) Page 16
